Going the Extra Mile

Our profession is one in which
our customers (patients, other
providers, and hospital administrators)
have needs and expectations
that consistently exceed our capacity to
respond to the extent that we would in a
perfect world. We as pharmacists are
challenged by the expense associated
with drug therapy, bureaucratic and regulatory
barriers, limited human resources,
space, equipment, time we
have each day, and much more. As a
result, we approach each day knowing
that we will do the best we can and constantly
balance needs with our capacity
to meet them.

The great news is that this balancing
act is supported by many wonderful
pharmacists who "go the extra
mile" in more situations than is
reasonable to expect. These
pharmacists go beyond what is
reasonable because of their
dedication to the patient and
their own personal commitment
to uphold their oath to
serve others in pursuit of maximizing
drug therapy outcomes.
As the leader of more than 100
pharmacists, it is unreasonable
for me to expect this level of
commitment for each encounter
in which they are involved. I
trust that each pharmacist recognizes
critical situations, in
which going the extra mile is
really needed, and their ability
to give that extra effort whenever
they can.

One of my staff members recently
spent an inordinate amount of time
assisting a senior who was mired in the
Medicare Part D debacle. She tirelessly
made numerous phone calls back and
forth to Washington
(DC) and Atlanta (Ga),
as an advocate for this
patient in an effort to
reestablish his eligibility
for coverage, minimize
his out-of-pocket
expense, and ensure
that he was able to get
the drugs he needed. I
cannot share more
details because it
would exceed the
space allotted for this
commentary.

Although this action
sounds "routine," you
are blessed to work
with colleagues who
consistently go the
extra mile. I know I
have that kind of staff
at the University of North Carolina
Hospitals and Clinics in both acute care
and ambulatory care environments. I am
lucky to have every member.

As in many similar situations, the
patient, the prescriber, and even the hospital
did not really appreciate what it
took to meet this patient's needs. Even
more tragically, these efforts take place
numerous times every hour of the day.
As a profession, we need to strive to congratulate
each other and celebrate our
successes, even if only to each other.
Leaders must find new and different
ways to globally appreciate their staff
members' high level of effort, while striving
to improve their personal touch that
means a great deal to their colleagues.

So, on behalf of all the pharmacy leaders
and managers out there, I congratulate
the thousands of pharmacists who
constantly go the extra mile for their
patients and customers. You are essential
to the processes of delivering top-flight
patient care and maintaining the
image of our profession. Thanks so much
for your dedication, sacrifice, and personal
commitment!

Mr. McAllister is director of pharmacyat University of North Carolina (UNC)Hospitals and Clinics and associatedean for clinical affairs at UNCSchool of Pharmacy, Chapel Hill.